Book Private Soccer Lessons with Coach Christian

I have been playing soccer since the age of 4, and have been involved in many different teams and experiences. I have competed with Olympic development teams, international camps, premiere clubs, and collegiate level teams. I started my career with my local town team as a child, winning state championships and advancing into nationals. I then played for my high school soccer team, and my senior year, the team went undefeated in the regular season and won the conference championships, with me as the starting right winger. During my high school years, I also played for a premiere club called Ginga FC based in Connecticut. During this time, I received professional level training from coaches who were former pros in Brazil and in the United States. After my high school years, I decided to not pursue soccer as a career and became the coach for the Monmouth University club soccer team during the 23-24 season. As well as coaching, I cofounded a soccer league in Connecticut called the WSL, which I also was also the director of for 3 years.

To help someone improve their game, I would start by setting goals for that individual to see what they needed to work on and where they wanted to improve. I would run cone drills involving speed, footwork, and ball control to improve dribbling. I would also act as a real defender that they would have to beat. I also would focus on positioning and first touch, as well as passing in drills. I would make sure to work on the foundations of the game, such as first touch, short passes, one touch passing, and other basics of the game. Besides ball work, I would also implement drills that combine both fitness and ball control. Lastly, I would try to foster a positive atmosphere around the individual to make them feel more confident as well as foster a positive attitude within the individual so that they may hopefully become more confident overall.

A typical training session to me always starts and ends with player safety. I ensure proper stretching, warming up, and cooling down. A player must properly warm up and recover in order to play and feel their best. After properly warming up, I would then begin to work on one of the goals that myself and the player had set. We then would begin our first drill involving whatever skill the player wants to improve upon. If it is dribbling, we would begin with a cone drill with a shooting finish at the end of the drill. This is to work on something the player wants and to also improve upon a general area of the game. After this, we would move on to another drill that combines both fitness and ball work. This could be many things, including dribbling while running, checking to shoot, or passing while moving. During these drills, we would also be working on the fundamentals of first touch, one touch passes, and other basics of the game. Then finally, we would cool down with a short jog and some more stretching.

The best coach that I ever had was my Ginga FC coach during my high school years. His passion and love for the game is part of what inspired me to coach today. Besides his passion, my old Ginga coach was a master of the game. He taught free flowing soccer the way it was meant to be played. He had a focus on triangles and movement off of the ball, as well as instilling an excellent positional sense into all of his players. He taught me how to play ever position on the field except goalkeeper. Unlike the coaches today that care only about physical strength and stamina, my old coach also cared about technicality and ability. He encouraged dribbling into space and taking on your man, rather than systemic football in which the player runs routes and plays like a robot. Most importantly though, my old coach cared about who we were as people. He cared when we were upset and always encouraged us to play through hardships and challenges. He was always encouraging and he made me feel confident in my abilities, which I believe directly translated to my confidence on the pitch.

I would like athletes and parents to feel that they can trust my coaching and trust me. Outside of soccer, I am a therapist and have worked under school psychologists through all levels of education up to high school. I have plenty of experience with children and feel I can handle any problem that may arise during training. I also want parents to know that I care about their children's soccer abilities and will do whatever I can within my knowledge to help them grow as a player and be the best that they can be when they are on the pitch. I would like to focus on their individual talents and help them to grow these talents into skills that they can take with them wherever it may be. I would like to instill in them a confidence that they carry outside the field and into their daily lives.